This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Applications No.2004-041800 filed Feb. 18, 2004 and No.2004-292327 filed Oct. 5, 2004, in the Japanese Patent Office, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to, and more particularly to image forming apparatuses, information processing apparatuses, information processing systems, authentication methods and computer-readable storage media, and more particularly to an image forming apparatus, an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, an authentication method and a computer-readable storage medium for carrying out a job authentication.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, image forming apparatuses having a plurality of functions, such as printing, copying, facsimile and scanning functions, have been developed. Such image forming apparatuses are often referred to as composite apparatuses or multi-function apparatuses which can function as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile machine and a scanner. Among such composite apparatuses, there are apparatuses that require user authentication when using the printing, copying, facsimile and scanning functions, so that the use of the functions of the composite apparatus is permitted only with respect to one or a plurality of registered users. For example, the user inputs a user ID and a password from an operation part, such as a touch panel, provided on the composite apparatus, and the user is permitted to use the functions of the composite apparatus only if the input user ID and password match those registered in the composite apparatus.
For example, a Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-111743 proposes a composite apparatus which requires user authentication based on a password input in order for the user to use the functions of the composite apparatus. This composite apparatus authenticates the password input by the user, and permits only the authenticated user to change a priority order or clear reserved jobs within the composite apparatus. Hence, only the user who reserved the jobs within the composite apparatus can change the priority order or clear the reserved jobs.
On the other hand, some composite apparatuses are connected to a host computer via one or more networks, and carry out a printing process upon receipt of print data transmitted from the host computer. In such a system configuration, while the composite apparatus is carrying out a printing process in response to a print request made by a first user and received from the host computer, a second user different from the first user may log in to the composite apparatus from the operation part of the composite apparatus. In this case, if the right to use the functions of the composite apparatus is given to the second user who logged in, there is a possibility that the reserved jobs within the composite apparatus, including the printing process in progress requested by the first user, may be changed by the second user. For example, the second user may make changes such as canceling the reserved job, releasing the function in use (or canceling the job in progress), and changing the number of copies to be made.
In addition, in the composite apparatus proposed in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-111743, the user inputs authentication information including the user ID and password in order to use the functions of the composite apparatus to perform a job, and the authenticated user is permitted to use the functions and to make changes to the settings made with respect to the functions, such as changing the priority order or clearing the reserved jobs.
However, the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2001-111743 does not take into consideration the authentication required to use the functions of the composite apparatus from an external apparatus such as the host computer. In other words, no consideration is given as to the relationship between the authentication required to use the functions of the composite apparatus directly and the authentication required to use the functions of the composite apparatus indirectly such as from the external apparatus.
Furthermore, if an error is generated in the composite apparatus while performing a job requested by the user and the composite apparatus stops, for example, this composite apparatus cannot be used until the error is corrected. However, if the user having the right to make changes to the job in progress is not near the composite apparatus and does not attend to the correction of the error, the composite apparatus will not be usable by other users.